DeVonte Pressley runs with the ball against White Knoll. Pressley finished with 194 yards and two scores.

NORTH AUGUSTA — It was supposed to be a huge showdown between Region 5-AAAA teams.

But with DeVonte Pressley dancing his way to nearly 200 yards and the defense clamping down on White Knoll’s rushing attack, North Augusta had a relatively easy time in a 33-0 romp on homecoming night.

Pressley scored on a pair of runs in the third quarter as the Yellow Jackets improved to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 5-AAAA.

The loss ended a six-game winning streak for White Knoll, which dropped to 6-2 and 1-1.

“White Knoll is a quality team,” North Augusta coach Dan Pippin said. “That was a great win for us.”

The Yellow Jackets have been known for their offensive prowess in recent years, but not always for their defense. That wasn’t the case Friday night.

“They didn’t cross the 50 until one time before the very end of the game, so that was good,” Pippin said.

North Augusta took a 13-0 lead at halftime thanks to a pair of Trib Reese touchdown passes, both in the second quarter.

The first went to Devin Grimes on a 13-yard strike.

The second went to Trey Morgan and capped a 95-yard drive. Pressley provided a big spark with a 22-yard run that got the Yellow Jackets to midfield. From there, Reese completed five consecutive passes, including the 16-yard bullet to Morgan with 20 seconds left before halftime.

“He’s pretty good. We were just going to run the clock out at the end of the first half, and he got that big run,” Pippin said of Pressley. “He cuts really well and does a good job. I wish I could tell you it’s all coaching but it’s not.”

Pressley broke the game open in the third quarter. On the third play from scrimmage, he raced 71 yards into the end zone.

Two possessions later, Pressley was given a short field by his defense and needed just four plays to find the end zone.

Dylan Davis added a pair of field goals for the Yellow Jackets in the second half.

Pressley finished with 194 yards on 20 carries, and he has now surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

The slight running back, who picks his hole and then uses his speed to beat defenders, is as humble as he is talented.

“I owe it all to my offensive line,” he said.

N. AUGUSTA 33, WHITE KNOLL 0

PLAY OF THE GAME: North Augusta’s DeVonte Pressley picked his hole, found an opening and outran White Knoll’s defense for a 71-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.

STAR OF THE GAME: Pressley, who rushed for more than 100 yards in the third quarter.

WHY NORTH AUGUSTA WON: The Yellow Jackets moved the ball at will against the Timberwolves and forced two turnovers on defense.

WHY WHITE KNOLL LOST: The Timberwolves were one-dimensional on offense and didn’t find much running room against North Augusta.